New Best Friend

Imagine, if you will, that your best friend talked to you the way you (silently) talk to yourself in your most self-critical moments.

Imagine if she had a tendency to look away from your many gifts, your beauty, all of the things that you do with grace, ease and aplomb.

Imagine if she habitually homed in on each little flaw, whether of mind or body, and devoted most of her attention to that instead.

Imagine if she was as quick as you are to focus on shortcomings; if she were as articulate as you are about why you shouldn’t believe you can do this; if she droned on, for hours and hours (and hours!), while you lay there sleepless, about all the reasons why this next important thing might not work.